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If you’re looking to get a new phone, or just get extra cash, you may want to sell your old phone. You can trade in your phone to raise money for a new phone or for something else. By shopping around for the best price you may get a lot more money for your phone than you think.
That four-year old iPhone 4 sitting in your drawer or in your pocket may be worth a whopping $200 (see below). Become an educated seller so you can get the most for your phone!
What to Consider Before You Trade In Your Phone
You may be excited to get a new phone and you may be putting a lot of effort into deciding which one to get. But before you trade in your old phone, you should do some research to figure out where you can get the best price for your phone.
Click on the links below to compare price estimates for your model of phone. Some places will buy other electronics as well as phones so you can declutter and raise money at the same time!
Condition
The better the condition of your phone, the more money you can get for it, in most cases. If your phone is in good working order but has suffered some scratches or dents, look for trade in programs that don’t adjust the price according to the condition of the phone.
Some places don’t care about the condition of your phone so long as it’s in good working order. Dents and scratches? Not a problem at some stores, those imperfections won’t affect the price.
Storage Space
If you splurged on the maximum storage space for your phone, look for deals that give you more money for more storage space. Some trade-in programs don’t take storage space into consideration when setting the price for phones but still may be the best deal for you. Be sure to compare deals.
Age of Your Phone
That phone sitting in your drawer that’s a few generations past its prime may be worth more than you think. If you have an older phone, you may have a tough time selling it for a decent price unless you trade it in for a new phone.
Some carriers are offering high trade-in prices for older phones as an incentive to get customers to trade up to a new phone and extend their contracts. Be sure to shop around to compare prices between carriers.
AT&T and Verizon are offering $200 towards the purchase of a new phone for iPhone 4 and 4S in good working order. That generous deal expires September 30 so move quickly if you want to get that deal! Keep reading for more details.
[tip] Be sure to back up your phone and erase your data before trading in or selling your old phone! [/tip]
Ease of Selling Your Phone
The easiest way to sell your old phone is to hand it over to the store where you buy your new phone. If you don’t want the hassle of listing your phone for sale on a web site and mailing to the buyer, then trading it in may be your best bet, even if you get a lower price (or that may be your best price!). But even so, you should research which store will give you the highest trade-in value for your phone. You may find a big difference in price between stores.
How the Money Is Paid
Not all deals pay you cash for your phone. Some places give you credit towards a new phone, others give you a gift card to their store. If you want cash, make sure that you find out how you’re paid before you commit to the deal.
Where to Trade In Your Phone
Some carriers and stores let you trade in your old phone to give you a discount on the cost of a new phone. Trading in your phone when you purchase a new phone can be the easiest way to sell your phone as you merely hand over your phone when you buy your new one.
Verizon
Verizon is offering a special promotional trade-in for iPhones until September 30. Customers can get at least $300 for an iPhone 5s and $200 for iPhone 4, 4S, 5 and 5c, towards the purchase of an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus from Verizon.
Phones have to be in “good working condition” and other restrictions apply. See the Verizon website for more details.
AT&T
AT&T is offering promotion cards of $300 for an iPhone 5s and $200 for iPhone 4, 4S, 5 and 5c that are traded in by September 30, 2014. Phones must be in “good and fully functional condition.” See the AT&T website for more details.
Sprint
Sprint is offering a minimum of $200 towards the purchase of an iPhone 6/6 Plus with a two-year contract when you trade in your old iPhone using its website. Enter the promo code iPhone6 to get this deal and be sure to read the Terms & Conditions at the website.
T-Mobile
If you’re a new or existing T-Mobile customer you can trade in your old phone and get credit towards your phone bill. Check out the T-Mobile website for Terms & Conditions and to get an estimate on the trade-in value of your phone.
Selling Your Phone Whether or Not You’re Buying a New One
You may want to sell your old phone just to get extra funds, even when you’re not upgrading to a new model. These retailers will buy your phone, giving you cash or a gift card, without the need to buy a new phone.
Amazon
Amazon lets you trade in your old phone with a wide variety of carriers and offers competitive prices. You’ll get your payment in the form of an Amazon Gift Card which you can use for purchases on Amazon.
If you have an unlocked phone, check both the unlocked category as well as the category of phone with your carrier. I saw that my unlocked iPhone 4S 64GB from AT&T was worth more as an AT&T phone than as an unlocked phone.
Check the Amazon website for more details.
Apple
Apple gives you an Apple Gift Card for you to use in its store or online when you trade in your old iPhone, iPad or Mac computer. You can get prices for iPhones dating back to the iPhone 4, but AT&T and Verizon are offering higher prices for older iPhones.
Best Buy
Best Buy lets you sell your phone either in-store or online. You can visit the Best Buy website to get an estimate of how much your phone is worth. You can also sell other electronics and Best Buy will recycle them for you if they aren’t in working order or don’t have a trade-in value.
RadioShack
RadioShack lets you get an estimate on the price of your phone online or in stores. Trade-in deals only go back to the iPhone 5 so The Shack may not be the best bet if you are trying to sell an older iPhone. Check the RadioShack website for details.
Walmart
Walmart’s Gadgets to Gift Cards program lets you sell your old phones and other gadgets in exchange for a Walmart Gift Card. Check the Walmart website to get an estimate of the value of your device.
Online Sites to Sell Your Phone
You can also sell your phone using an online resale service to get a good price.
Gazelle
With Gazelle you get a set price for your phone that’s guaranteed for 30 days. You aren’t committed to sell your phone but Gazelle is committed to its price, so long as your phone is in the condition you said it was in. Gazelle will pay you cash for your phone or other device.
☛ See, Gazelle – Resell and Recycle Your Tech! for more information on Gazelle.
Glyde
With Glyde you can set the price you want to get for your phone. Glyde will suggest a price for you to list your phone, but you can set whatever price you want. Listing your phone for sale costs nothing, you pay Glyde a cut when you sell your phone.
☛ See, Craving New Tech? Glyde Is on Your Side! to find out more about selling your phone using Glyde.
Swappa
With Swappa you can either set the price for your phone or list your phone for the suggested price. There’s no guarantee that your phone will be sold but you do get payment of cash into your PayPal account.
☛ See, Swappa – Satisfy Your Mobile Cravings for more information about Swappa.
Your Thoughts
Are you thinking of trading in your old phone? Will you be upgrading to a new phone or using the funds for something else? Have you shopped around for different prices for your old phone? Have you been surprised at the price differences you’ve found? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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* iPhone photos (edited) courtesy of Vincent Huang via Flickr and Creative Commons
Thank you for such a detailed guide! I usually buy my phones either in the nearest electronics store or online! Amazon is my favourite here, but now I will check your list – maybe there are even better options
Hi Victoria, Yes, by taking a few minutes to click on the links above you can compare prices you can get for your old phone. You may find some deals on new phones too! You’re right, knowing your options is important when buying and selling phones.
Hi Carolyn,
That was an informative post, and I must forward this to my cousins and relatives who are always going inf or the latest phones as and when they come in the market 🙂
However, I hope these sites work all over – I mean our end too? Or perhaps they don’t?We do have a few local sites that serve the same purpose and perhaps the transaction in money would be easier if it belongs to our country, isn’t it?
I really don’t have to worry about trading my good old phone as I hardly upgrade mine as I rarely use it, as you already know…lol…and when the time comes, I’d rather pass it on to someone needy than sell it. But yes, those who have the costly ones and keep upgrading theirs often, should surely use these sites.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I’d surely be sharing this all over, just in case anyone needs help about disposing their old phones. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, those links above are for US sites but the same advice about selling your phone applies no matter what country you’re in. Shop around for the best price and follow the tips listed in the beginning of the article.
Thanks so much for sharing this with your friends and family, Harleena!
Great article. There are so many different options to consider. I’m confused whether I check unlocked or verizon for trading in my phone. Since I have used it, does that mean it’s unlocked, or since it is from verizon, do I check off verizon?
Hi Liz, Great questions. You’re right, there are a lot of options to consider. But by taking a few minutes to check out your options by clicking on the link above you could get hundreds of dollars more for your old phone.
“Unlocked” for phones means that they no longer have to be used with a single carrier. In the US carriers usually sell phones that are locked to that carrier so you can’t take your phone and use it with a different carrier. After your 2-year contract is up you can request that the phone be unlocked. Some carriers will do that, some won’t.
In general a phone is worth more unlocked because you can use it with other carriers. But you should check all prices to see where you can get the best deal!
Nice one! Don’t keep old things! I gave one to my old lady neighbour and another to my 8 years cousin! :))
Hi Lucia, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Great point, you can also pass on your old phones to friends and family who can make great use of them!
Perfect timing! I have an old iPhone 4 that’s just sitting unused, and I want to trade it in for funds towards my next phone, I also have an iPhone 4s to upgrade. I’m thinking my carrier, AT&T might be my best option, though by the sounds of the new iPhone 6, I won’t be seeing that new phone any time soon.
Hi Carol, Yes, the deals that AT&T and Verizon are offering for the 4/4S are hard to beat. If you can take advantage of those offers, you should!
I’m very much sure these are going to be more popular in coming time as number of smartphone users are increasing rapidly, so do the number of outdated smartphones too.
Hi Pankaj, Good point. As each new phone is released, more older phones will be traded in as they become outdated. Tech marches on!
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for the detailed guide and mentioning all the alternatives. I’ve tried once my selling old iPhone 4S and the Apple guys gave a heavy discount on purchasing new iPhone. I think except one or two, these services are not available in India? I will try Amazon next time!
Regards
Govind Choudhary
Hi Govind, The key is to shop around to see where you can get the best price when selling your phone. Even the sites listed above will change prices frequently so you should check the sites in India right before you’re ready to sell. The place that gave you the best price last week may not give you the best price this week!
We have companies that offer cash for old phones in the UK, but it’s not a reputable business.
Is seems many of them offer good prices on their websites but significantly downgrade the offer on receipt of the goods stating poor condition. They then charge an exorbitant fee to return the item so the owner has little choice but to accept the reduced offer. Following many complaints this was put to the test by a TV station – they despatched a used but perfect phone only to be told is was virtually worthless. Better to stick it on eBay.
Hi Sue, Yes, unfortunately there are crooks in every business. You need to be very careful when choosing a site to sell your phone to. When you send in your phone you have no control over how they will evaluate it. You may be better trading in your phone in person at a store if you can’t find any reputable trade in companies. It’s a shame because these companies won’t be in business for very long, treating their customers that way!